The Simir Combine
The Simic Combine The Simic Combine is Ravnica’s steward of nature and the wild; its mission is to preserve and advance the natural world even as Ravnica’s cities continue to grow. The guild seeks to protect the elements of the plane that are incompatible or mutually exclusive with its overpopulated, urban conditions. This is not easy, of course, because the forces of civilization are so prevalent on Ravnica that they threaten to subsume anything that runs counter to them. But the Simic practice a strange combination of detachment and holism that provide a kind of separation from the larger urban systems—a separation on which their conservation mission depends. 'Quote: ''"'Of course it will grow beyond control—it was designed to choose its own evolution."'' 'Common Knowledge: '''The emotionally distant relationship that the Simic biomancers have with the rest of Ravnica’s society makes the common man wary of the guild, thinking of them as crazy mutant makers. Even so, the Simic make up the physicians of Ravnica and so injuries and illness are taken to the reputable doctors. ''Novijen ''is the genetics laboratory where the Simic design and perfect their biological experiments. It is a hybrid of living matter and sculpted stone held in place by thick cables designed to keep it isolated from the surrounding structures. ''Zameck: ''The Simic guildhall is not a particularly ceremonial or celebratory place. In Zonot Seven, within the Tenth District, a huge chamber just below the surface has been cleared of debris and serves as the gathering place for all the Speakers, as well as a place where non-Simic visitors can meet with Zegana or other Combine emissaries. The roof of Zameck contains many openings to the sky, covered over with an Æther-infused organic material known as plax to create opalescent skylights, which makes the chamber seem almost as though it’s underwater. Thick cords of kelp buttress the walls of the huge chamber, and algae cakes the corners and edges of walls and floors. The main chamber floor is clear with the exception of a large table in the shape of a loose spiral, with a slightly elevated podium at its center. ''Prime Speaker Zegana. ''The regal and reticent merfolk called Zegana is the current guildmaster of the Simic Combine. She is the Speaker for Zonot One, the first of the mysterious sinkholes to emerge on Ravnica, and she delivered the Fathom Edict that declared a new beginning for the Combine. Zegana is quick to point out, however, that she speaks at the discretion of the Speakers’ Chamber, a secretive body of all nine of the zonots’ speakers. She claims that the Chamber can revoke that status, at which time another Speaker would replace her as the guildmaster. Many outside the Simic believe this is false modesty, however, and that Zegana controls the Chamber—if it actually meets at all. '''Adventurers and The Icon: '''Due to their isolated stances, Simic are very discreet and suspicious of anyone they hire. They still hire adventurers, and those that are accepted to the guild usually enjoy - not only the Simic Combine are rich and reward talent, their organic technology and healing skills make them good friends for those with violent lives. On the other side of the coin, Simic jobs are often dangerous: capturing rare creatures that somehow survived the city expansion, combat-test a new beast, be test subject for a new graft project. As tentative as patrons the Simic are, one must be careful to not end as just another specimen in their genetic laboratories. '''Allies: '''Simic don't find allies easily and don't seek them. They share a mutual respect for the Izzet, sharing the burden of serving progress. Azorius are some of the best clients of the Simic, appreciating the beasts that the Simic can adapt to crowd control. In the past the Simic worked togehter with the Gruul and the Dimir - both sides trying to manipulate each other and get the upper end. In the future that might happen again. '''Enemies: '''Both the Golgari Swarm and the Selesnya dislike the Simic, considering their antisocial ways and tampering with life to be at best a waste of time, at worst blasphemy against the cycles of death and rebirth and the Worldsoul. '''History: ' The pauren of the Combine, the vedalken biomancer Simic, sought to preserve all life in Ravnica, with no expection - and for centuries this ancient duty remained constant. Very recently the elf guild master Momir Vig tried to change the direction of the guild towards a megalomaniac dream - to improve all the lifeforms of Ravnica in a collective supreme being. After his plans were thwarted and the chaos that claimed Ravnica after the breaking of the Guildpact, the merfolk Zegana took control of the Simic Combine and is leading them to a new age. But what will this new age bring? 'The True Danger: ' Everything will be okay as long as the Simic don't try to assimilate everyone in one giant ooze. Tang colouring optional.